


Five Realms

by DuckDuckDeduce



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, BAMF Alec Lightwood, BAMF Magnus Bane, Bad Parent Maryse Lightwood, Everyone's a BAMF, Kidnapping, M/M, The Clave sucks, Working title, also Izzy and Jace too, also probably swearing in later chapters, also valentine, ewww, lying?, the shadowhunters are douchebags, ummm idk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-05-26 09:54:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14998340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DuckDuckDeduce/pseuds/DuckDuckDeduce
Summary: Years ago, the Shadow World lived in harmony. Valentine's rule changed all of that.Now, the Shadowhunters rule unchallenged, but the Downworlders are restless.When Jace and Izzy find themselves kidnapped by warlocks, they are swept up into a world that forces them to reconsider everything they believe in. Could the Downworlders be right? Has the Clave been keeping secrets from them? Is the brother they thought dead actually gone?In a world where danger is rampant and deceit lies at every turn, they're going to need all the help they can get just to survive.-------------------------Working title, ideas welcome!





	1. Evil in the Air

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!  
> This is my first work in this fandom, so please be nice.   
> I wrote this instead of working on my other fic, Road of Yellow (sorry whoops) so I hope it makes up for the wait.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“It is not power that corrupts, but fear”   
– Aung San Suu Kyi

Long ago, the five kingdoms of the Shadow World lived in harmony. Warlocks, Seelies, Werewolves, Vampires and Shadowhunters all working together to ensure that their world would continue to prosper. That was, until the Circle came to power. Before Valentine and his Circle were formed, the Shadow World was governed by a council of the five monarchs of each country and their advisors; The Seelie Queen of Fae, the Vampire King of Du Mort, the High Warlock of Edom, the Great Alpha of Brocelind and the Inquisitor of Idris. Once a month, these five rulers would all meet in the Shadowhunters’ capital city, Alicante, to gather in the security that the Adamas Towers provided. 

Valentine, though he had brought wealth and power to Idris over his years as Inquisitor, did not believe that the five kingdoms of the Shadow World were equals. His Circle, a collection of some of the best warriors the shadowhunters had to offer, all undyingly loyal only to him, ambushed one of these council sessions, killing the representatives and sparking a war amongst the land’s inhabitants. Soon, the shadowhunters ruled alone, and the other four factions united to form the Downworld and suffered in silence for many years.   
However, that is all about to change…

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

When Jace opened his eyes to the glowing gold irises of a cat right in front of his face, he knew they were screwed. His head pounded, his limbs felt like spaghetti, and he couldn’t sense his sister anywhere. Then, the true weight of his predicament set in. This man was a warlock, and a powerful one at that it seemed; the magic bonds around his wrists had no give, his runes felt muted and useless and from the little he remembered of the fight before he was kidnapped they had been outrageously outmatched.

“Morning, sunshine,” came the warlock’s voice a he stepped back, allowing Jace to get a better glimpse of the room he was being held in. It was a dank dungeon, the kind of stereotypical base of those too weak and poor to afford anyplace nicer. Although, he was being held by downworlders, so Jace figured it was probably all that could be expected of those poor souls. Jace had always kind of pitied the downworlders. They were too weak to reject the shadowhunters’ rule, and though the law was hard it was the law. But, underneath the pity was poorly-concealed rage, for these monsters had killed his brother. Alexander, or Alec, as he was known by the world, had been first in line to become the General of the Inquisitor’s – currently Jace’s grandmother, Inquisitor Herondale – armies when their mother, Maryse, passed. Until, during a solo mission in Edom, he was killed by warlocks. Jace had felt their parabatai bond shatter, could recall his mother’s stony face as she talked about duty and honour, wiped away Isabelle’s tears as she mourned the brother who had always protected her. 

The warlock tapped his fingers against his chin, bringing Jace back to the present. He took stock of the man – no, monster – in front of him, simultaneously cataloguing the threat and attempting to free his hands. Sparkly heeled boots, black and red pants, a black silk shirt open almost all the way to his naval, gold chains that matched the bejewelled cuffs on his ears, dramatic makeup and finally red streaks in his gelled black hair. The most riveting thing about the warlock though, was by far his Mark: luminescent golden eyes, slitted like a cat’s, that held a cruel spark of humour in their depths. Jace shivered as those terrifying eyes turned away from his bound form and focussed on the other figures in the room with them. 

There were two other men; a well-dressed, if old fashioned, man standing by the door, green skin and horns proudly on display, and a hooded figure leaning against the wall, face shrouded in the shadow of his cowl. He and the cat-eyed warlock seemed to be having a silent discussion using only their eyes until the warlock spoke: “He’s your call.”

The hooded figure seemed to relax a little at this, straightening up and saying, “Don’t kill him, Bane.” Shit. Shit shit shit. If the man in front of him really was Bane, then Jace was screwed. Magnus Bane was one of the leaders of the Downworld rebellion, having been High Warlock of Edom before the shadowhunters had taken their rightful place as rulers. He was known as being cruel, cunning, and above all else, powerful. 

Bane nodded to the man – Jace was going to assume the hooded figure was a man from his voice – and turned to the green guy. “Ragnor, stay with blondie. Get what information you can, but don’t harm him unless absolutely necessary.” When the other warlock nodded, Bane turned to the man. “Just you and me darling. Shall we go see the girl?” Jace’s insides turned to ice, worry for his sister clouding the instinctual voice in his head telling him not to show any weakness.

“Don’t you dare touch her.” If words could kill, all three downworlders would be lying in pools of their own blood. 

“Well, well, well.” Bane turned back from the door, smirking. Bastard. “Girlfriend?”

Jace was about to spit in Bane’s face when the hooded man – who he had named Cloak in his head – spoke up. “Sister.” Crap, this was bad. How much did they know? If the downworlders had a spy within the shadowhunters’ ranks, they were worse off than they had thought. Jace and Izzy needed to get out of here, ASAP. “Well,” Bane responded. “Let’s go pay her a visit, shall we?”

Jace tried to scream and shout as the two left the room, slamming the iron door shut behind them, but the green man – Ragnor, was it? – simply laid a hand on Jace’s head and the world went black.


	2. Shoot to Kill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jace and Izzy discover what could potentially be a very dangerous secret.   
> Also malec. Because... well, because it's malec

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thankyou so so so much to everyone who commented or left kudos on this work. I was certainly not expecting such a massive response to this; you're all amazing.
> 
> This chapter is for Jenibookworm, as a special thanks for her constructive criticism and general excitement. 
> 
> Once again, this is unbeta'd. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> \- DuckDuck
> 
> ps. I'm sorry in advance for my horrible updating schedule :)

“Each to his passion; what’s in a name?”  
– Helen Hunt Jackson

By the time Jace awoke, he knew that something had changed. Maybe it was the faint scent of Isabelle’s perfume or that the ground underneath him was far too soft to be that dingy concrete basement, but either way, Jace didn’t like it. Change was bad; unpredictable. And an unpredictable enemy meant a dangerous enemy. Maybe these downworlders were smarter than they looked. 

“Don’t let them hear you say that.” 

Jace barely had time to realise he’d spoken aloud when he was being bombarded with an armful of enthusiastic little sister. He laughed, spinning Izzy around and marvelling at how good it felt to be able to stretch his muscles after hours in that dingy basement chair when a small chuckle from the door alerted them to another presence in the room. Both Lightwoods were instantly alert, getting into a fighting stance and turning to face the intruder. Magnus Bane, once again. God, that guy needed to chill.

Bane had changed his wardrobe, swapping the red streaks in his hair and black and red clothes for a blue ensemble with glittering golden accents to match his still-unglamoured eyes. The dramatic makeup remained, however. By his side towered the hooded man from earlier, still completely indistinguishable aside from his height. “Perfect, blondie’s awake,” Bane announced, smirk turning predatory. “As much as I’d love to entertain such famous guests as the Lightwoods, Archer here will be your guide. Do try not to murder anyone.” With that, he spun on his heeled boots and left the room. 

Jace and Izzy both watched as the hooded figure – or Archer, Jace supposed – sunk down into a chair by the doorway of the white tent they’d been taken to. He seemed content to simply sit and watch them, though it was hard to tell beneath his cloak. It was only a minute or so later before Izzy had dragged Jace to the other side of the room in the hope that the warlock couldn’t hear them as they discussed their respective kidnappings. 

Though Jace had been kidnapped while on patrol, Izzy had been at the Institute, which only furthered Jace’s suspicions that the Downworlders had a shadowhunter spy. Not only that, but it certainly wasn’t a coincidence that the Lightwoods, children of General Maryse, were the only ones captured. “Don’t you think it’s weird?” Jace’s musing was interrupted by Izzy’s question. 

“What’s weird? The fact that they haven’t killed us yet, or that they seem to have a spy within the Institute?” Jace rolled his eyes.

“No.” Izzy whispered, lowering her voice even further, “The fact that he-“ she jerked her head at the warlock by the door “- hasn’t once moved to stop us from talking, has no visible weapons, didn’t complain about his orders to guard us even though he’s clearly a senior officer at least or even fidgeted, just sat there and listened to us.” 

“I have no idea what to think about that guy. I mean, he told Bane not to kill us, he knew we were siblings. Bane called him darling, for crying out loud.” Jace smirked, wiggling his eyebrows before Izzy nodded at him. Jace turned towards the door of the lavish tent they had been left in, silent conversation with his sister over now. It was decided: they were going to figure out what that guy’s deal was.

“Is Archer your real name?” Jace asked, not surprised when the warlock in question only tilted his head. He was surprised, however, when a quiet yet confident “no” followed a few seconds later. Jace didn’t falter though, shooting out another question. “Why do they call you that then?”

A few seconds passed before a sleek metal bow and a quiver of arrows appeared over the man’s shoulder. Archer shrugged them off and laid them on the floor by his side. Jace was hit with a pang of grief – the fluid motion was just so Alec that he had to blink back tears. Izzy had obviously had the same thought as she was staring at the weapons on the ground. 

Archer had obviously misread their interest, as he said to her, “You can look at it.” He didn’t move to stop her as she stood and moved towards him. It would have been a perfect chance for her to grab the weapons and run through the unlocked entrance to the tent, but something about the warlock stopped her from taking that chance. She grabbed an arrow, brining it back to the table on the other side of the room where Jace was waiting. Izzy sat down, inspecting the silver and red arrow as Archer looked on, seemingly indifferent to the fact that he had just armed the prisoners. Jace drew in a sharp breath, shocking Izzy from her musings. 

“Iz,” He gasped, “That arrow is runed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun duuuuuun
> 
> Why does a warlock have shadowhunter weapons? What really happened to Alec? 
> 
> Find out soon...
> 
> DuckDuck out


	3. Wherefore art thou, Brother?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misunderstandings, violence, and some long-awaited truths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Ducklings (yes that's my new name for you guys, roll with it)!
> 
> I'm so so sorry for this being so late. I'm literally posting this at midnight over here. I have no excuse, given that I was shopping all day and then went to see a musical. 
> 
> It was the wizard of oz, though, so hopefully my inspiration for Road of Yellow will return and I can finally finish it. 
> 
> Hopefully, I'll have another update ready for next Tuesday. 
> 
> This chapter is for MalecFanatic for their overwhelming enthusiasm.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> -DuckDuck

**“Grief is the price we pay for love”**

**– Queen Elizabeth II**

“Who are you?” Izzy shouted, jumping from her seat and turning to face the warlock. “Why are these runed? Who did you kill to get these?”

Meanwhile, Jace was still staring at the arrow. God, they looked like Alec’s. He remembered how Maryse had come to him in the middle of the night after he felt their parabatai bond snap, how she had told him that his brother, his best friend was dead.

_Jace had been playing piano when it happened. It was another night spent losing himself in the sweet melodies of Chopin’s Nocturne no. 20 when his fingers slipped on the keys, side bursting with pain. His parabatai rune was burning, breaking. Alec was dying, and there was nothing Jace could do to stop it._

_He had been here barely twenty minutes ago, reading on Jace’s bed while Jace played. Izzy had come in, saying he was needed for a solo mission. As the next in line to become General after Maryse passed, Alec was often sent on diplomatic missions without his siblings, but this one was outside of Idris, just inside the borders of Edom, home of the warlocks. Nevertheless, their older brother had assured them that he would be fine, giving them each a hug and heading out the door._

_Izzy and Jace had waited nervously while Jace played in an attempt to keep their minds off it before the pain had started. Izzy caught him as he fell to the ground, frantic fingers scrambling at his shirt until she could see his rune, watching in horror as it began to fade._

_“Jace?” Maryse had asked, minutes or maybe hours later, knocking on Jace’s bedroom door before pushing it open and coming inside. She sat down beside where Jace and Izzy were curled together on the bed. “I’m sorry,” she said gently, though her eyes held no tears, “It was a trap. Our informant betrayed us and killed Alec. He died honourably.”_

_“How can you be so calm about this?” Izzy shrieked. “He’s your son!”_

_If it was possible, Maryse’s face became even more closed off. “He did his duty for our kingdom. You would do well to remember that.” The door shutting behind their so-called mother shook Jace to the core._

“You bastards.” Jace whispered, though both Izzy and Archer seemed to hear. “First you kill my brother, and now you rub it in our faces by using his weapons? I will kill you slowly.” He stalked forward, too caught up in his rage at the fact that these _monsters_ had not only completely obliterated Alec’s corpse so that there was nothing left to bury but also stolen his most prized possession to notice the streak of crackling blue magic headed towards him. Izzy noticed just in time, pushing her brother out of the way and taking the blast herself.

Bane stalked forward, blue sparks still fizzing around his fingertips as he strode into the tent until he was in front of Archer. The hooded warlock had made no move to defend himself from the two Lightwoods. “Kill him slowly? Really, blondie, that’s the best you can do?” Bane snickered at their disbelief, examining the arrow his magic had snatched from Jace’s grip before handing it back to Archer. If Jace didn’t know now that the guy was an emotionless asshole, he would’ve sworn he saw Archer smile at that gesture.

“Really darling, I don’t know why you don’t defend yourself against these poor excuses for soldiers,” Bane turned back to his… Boyfriend? Second in command? Friend? Jace didn’t know, but it was all the opportunity he needed. With a quick glance at Izzy to check she was on the same page, they attacked.

The fight was pretty short-lived. Izzy dived for Bane’s hands, hoping to stop him from using his magic, but was stopped by Archer throwing a punch to her shoulder. She backed up, both of them throwing jabs, kicks and punches faster than a regular human could ever hope to be. Jace diverted from the original plan of going after the hooded man, readjusting his aim to attack the General instead. Bane simply laughed at that, waving a flippant hand to immobilise Jace where he stood. For a second, Jace was worried that Izzy would receive the same treatment, but it seemed Bane was happy to simply watch the other two fight.

Izzy was probably the best fighter in all of the many armies of Idris, with the possible exception of Jace himself. She was deadly with her whip, and though the inside of the tent was too small to use it she had never shied away from hand-to-hand combat either. Which was why Jace was exceptionally surprised when Archer spun, catching her off guard and tripping up her fluid motions, the brief scuffle ending with Izzy panting in a headlock and Archer standing solidly behind her.

Bane clapped, waving a hand at Isabelle to freeze her like he had Jace. He walked over to the pair and Jace felt himself tense, before the warlock reached up to Archer and adjusted the man’s cloak. “Thanks for the help,” Archer snarked, Bane chuckling at the comment.

“This way was much more fun,” the warlock purred in return, running a hand down Archer’s chest before turning to face Izzy and Jace once more. The little bit of Archer’s face that Jace could see under his hood had seemingly turned bright red. “Now,” Bane mused, “what to do with you two?” He glanced at Archer, the two having a silent, almost telepathic conversation. For all the Lightwoods knew, it could be. Bane sighed, before nodding, and Archer stood a little straighter. “Are you sure you want to do this, Angel?” Bane asked, voice softening. When Archer nodded, he sighed once more before kissing Archer quickly on the lips and then leaving. Well, Jace thought, that solves the boyfriend/second/friend dilemma.

Before Jace or Izzy, who still looked furious at being bested in their earlier fight, could question what he was going to do, Archer reached up and removed his hood. All the breath left Jace’s body as he stared up into those hazel eyes he never imagined he would get to see again. From beside him, Izzy let out a small, broken-sounding, “Alec…” and the man smiled.

“Hey, guys,” he whispered. “It’s good to see you again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter looks different because I finally figured out how to do text types on AO3.
> 
> I'll change the others later.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! Thanks so much for all your support!
> 
> Until next time, DuckDuck out.


	4. Wrongs to make a Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some backstory.
> 
> Also, Magnus POV, leadership stuff, and not as many answers as you were probably hoping for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Ducklings!
> 
> Another week, another chapter. This one is for shiny_starlight, and I hope that your 'inquiring mind' enjoys. 
> 
> This is my last pre-written chapter, but I will try my best to have another ready for next week. 
> 
> Until then, enjoy!
> 
> -DuckDuck out

**“For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth”**

**– Bo Bennet**

Two years. Izzy and Jace had mourned their brother for two years, not a day going by when they didn’t think of him. Alec had been their rock, the protector who was always there to get them out of trouble and make sure they were doing okay. He was the Clave’s perfect soldier, on the fast track to becoming General of Idris when Maryse died or retired.

 

And then that mission. That one night when Jace’s bond shattered and Izzy lost the only good influence she’d ever known. That night that the Lightwood children finally understood what Maryse and Robert had been trying to drill into them for years: Downworlders are monsters who need to be put down. From that night onwards, Izzy and Jace had trained and trained, quickly making a name for themselves as the fiercest warriors in all of the Shadow World.

 

Yet here he was. Older, yes, but still the same Alec Jace missed every day. His hair was longer, unrulier without the constant watching eyes of Maryse on his back. His skin was tanner, littered with new scars; a thin line though his eyebrow, a slice on his collarbone that spoke of a knife fight years past, and mottled red-white skin on his left bicep clearly caused by magic flames. His black tunic and pants seemed old and worn down, though obviously of good quality. He still wore the age-old combat boots he had worn when he left the New York Institute on that damned mission to Edom.

 

The most startling thing about their big brother, however, was his smile. Alec had never been much of a smiler, instead the serious soldier the Clave wanted hardly ever coming out of his shell. Izzy, Jace and Max had been the only ones able to make him smile, let alone laugh and joke around aside from his usual sarcasm and dry humour.

 

Now, it was clear that that had all been turned on its head. The soft smile he had given Bane as he left had held more emotion in it than Jace could remember ever seeing from Alec. He stood more confidently now too, head lifted and shoulders unhunched, ready to face the world. What had happened to his brother?

 

Moreover, what did Magnus Bane of all people have to do with it? Jace wasn’t blind, he had seen the glances Alec stole when he thought no one was watching. But suspecting that his brother was gay and knowing it were two entirely different things. Maybe he was under a spell? The Alec that Jace had known would rather have died than lived with warlocks for two years, let alone kissed one. Jace needed answers.

 

It seemed like Izzy had come to the same conclusion. She reached up a hand to scrub at the smudged mascara around her eyes before taking a step towards their brother. The only thing that came out of her was a strangled, “How?”

 

Alec sighed, smile fading. He gestured to the table where not five minutes ago Jace and Izzy had been debating his arrow. “We better sit down. This is going to take a while.” Alec led them over, sitting down and putting his head in his hands for a long moment. When he raised his head once more, there was a steely determination in his eyes.   


Voice soft and shoulders set, Alexander began to tell his story.

 

  * · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·



 

When Magnus had agreed to bring his Alexander’s siblings back to Edom, he wasn’t sure it was the best idea. Still, the warlock knew that he’d do anything for Alec, even if it breached the security of the camp and was bound to bite them in the ass later. He was High Warlock, he could do what he wanted. Even if right now he wanted to be there with his Angel instead of heading to a pointless meeting with the other Downworld Leaders.

 

Magnus glanced back at the white tent far behind him, the largest in a line stretching almost the entire length of the camp. Magnus was the probably the most powerful person in the camp, but by no means was he the only. In the few minutes between leaving Alexander and his siblings and reaching the path to the Meeting Ground, he had passed numerous warlocks, werewolves, vampires and even a few Seelies, though they were few and far between in this particular base of operations. Other camps outside the borders of Idris homed different ratios of the Downworlder factions.

 

The path to the Meeting Ground exited into a lush grassy glade. The circular clearing nestled just far enough from the edge of the forest so they would not be disturbed but still close enough to be easily accessible had been a gesture of goodwill from the Seelie Queen. Her magic had created and sustained the Ground, ensuring that the flowers were always blooming and the five great oak tree trunks that had been fashioned into chairs in the centre never began to rot.

 

Two of these grand seats were currently occupied, Magnus taking his place to the left of the two men. He settled in, making himself comfortable before turning to the other leaders beside him. He could tell simply by the expression on Luke’s face that this was going to be a long and arduous meeting.

 

The man in question was Luke Garroway, High Alpha of what was formerly the land of Brocelind. When Valentine had come to power and seized the Shadow World for his Shadowhunters, Brocelind had been the first land overrun. With all of the wolves separated largely into smaller packs, the shadowhunters had run covert missions to secretly target individual packs, weakening the country until its capital, Silverhood, was finally overrun. While this had all happened years before, Luke was still trying to undo the damage caused to his homeland. He was a good leader, and a kind and honest man. Magnus liked him, though perhaps the same could not be said for the man to Luke’s left. Then again, Raphael didn’t like anyone, so there was that.

 

King Raphael of Du Mort was not an easy man to get along with. He was surly, antisocial and generally grumpy, at least in Magnus’ eyes. However, having known the man for over three centuries now, Magnus could safely say that he was a strong leader who cared about his subjects, no matter how much he did or didn’t show it. Having been abandoned as a young fledgling, Magnus had taken Raphael under his wing, teaching him and caring for him as a son until Raphael had moved back to the capital of Du Mort, Wallachia, rising to become king of the vampires merely decades after the shadowhunters’ coup.

 

The glare Raphael was sending him now caused Magnus to sit up straighter, finally giving his full attention to the small gathering of leaders. Raphael smirked at this, while Luke rolled his eyes at their antics and cleared his throat.

 

“Now that,” he shot a pointed look at the two empty chairs to Magnus’ right, ” _mostly_ everyone is here, let’s begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Alec's story, some Lightwood sibling bonding, and malec.   
> Not necessarily in that order. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! As always, comments and kudos make my day. 
> 
> Have a fabulous week, and I'll see you next time!
> 
> -DuckDuck


	5. Feathered Yesterday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The answers you all wanted, but probably not the ones you were hoping for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Ducklings! 
> 
> Finally, what you've all been waiting for: some answers. I know that a lot of you had ideas for what had happened to Alec, so leave a comment telling me if you were right! 
> 
> Sorry there's no Magnus in this one (or is there?).
> 
> This one's for master_girl, who wanted to know Alec's story. Here you go.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -DuckDuck

**“The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool”**

**– Stephen King**

“I’ll be fine guys, you know I will.” Alec mumbled into Izzy’s hair as she hugged him fiercely.

 

“We know,” she mumbled back, “We just worry.” She pulled away, flopping backwards onto Jace’s bed even as he turned to glare at her for it.

 

“You better not get hurt,” Jace challenged, rising from the piano bench to pull Alec into a hug. “Now stop time-wasting and go kick some warlock ass.”

 

Alec’s glare would have been enough to send a lesser man running. Fortunately, Jace had been on the receiving end of it for years, and as such was immune. “It’s a diplomatic mission, Jace. No fighting. The only one getting their ass kicked will be you in training tomorrow.”

 

“We’ll see about that!” Jace shouted after him as he headed down to the ops room.

 

Maryse was waiting for Alec there, hair perfectly coiled into a tight bun and black gear spotless. With the tight set of her mouth and steely determination in her eyes, she looked every bit the commanding officer she was. “Good, you’re here. Let’s begin.” She spread one of the many maps littering the control room across the table, weighting the corners down with other scrolls and candles from throughout the room. The yellowed parchment showed the five realms that made up the Shadow World; Idris, the largest, in the north, with Brocelind to the left and Edom to the right. Brocelind’s southern border joined to Du Mort, with a significantly larger section in the middle of the map that was the Seelie Courts of Fae. A stylised depiction of Alicante’s soaring Adamas Towers could be found near the centre of Idris. Slightly below that, closer to the border with Edom, was the city of New York.

 

Maryse tapped New York on the map with one perfect fingernail, beginning to trace a path towards the border to a small village on the outskirts of Edom labelled ‘Brooklyn’. “This is where you will be meeting our informant. He has very sensitive information, and as such this mission is of the utmost secrecy. Understood?” Maryse’s voice left no room for argument, and with a quick “Understood”, Alec was on his way.

 

* * *

 

_“Wait, wait, wait.” Jace interrupted, spreading his hands across the gnarled wooden tabletop. “That’s all the info you had?”_

 

_“C’mon Jace,” Alec replied. “I know for a fact that you’ve been on missions with less information than that.”_

 

_Izzy looked thoughtful, her beautiful face scrunched up as she tried to decipher what her brother meant by that. All of their ‘on-the-go’ missions, as they called them, had been in the last nine months or so, well after Alec’s disappearance. “We_ will _be coming back to that, but for now, keep going. At least tell me you had backup, right?”_

 

_Alec’s laugh held no humour. “Oh, I had backup alright. Just none that I could actually trust.”_

 

* * *

 

Alec glanced quickly at his mother before stepping into the half-there light of the alleyway. The few shadowhunters crouched, hanging and hiding around him in the shadows were there to protect him, but something felt off. Something had felt off about his mother all week, actually, but he supposed she had her secrets.

 

Just like him.

 

Well, her secrets probably weren’t fears over the reaction of his family should they learn of how he had been checking out Lucas Hallstark when he had visited the institute.

 

The dim lights of the alleyway suddenly diminished even further, prompting Alec to shoulder his bow and take out his stele. The night-vision rune was on his left forearm but stopping to roll up his sleeve presented new challenges: namely, a knife flashing towards him that he could barely see in the little light the moon provided. Shit, if he was being attacked, that meant that their warlock informant was a traitor.

 

Alec quickly ducked, the knife simply slashing through his eyebrow instead of cleaving his face in half. He backed up, loathe to attempt to use his bow in the close confines of the alleyway, but also not wanting to go up against a crazy armed warlock without a weapon. Pulling two arrows from his quiver, Alec mulled over the situation in his head. Fighting was a second nature to him at this point; he had been trained his entire life for this. The speedy flurry of blocks, swipes and blood had him on edge, however. The first rule of fighting a warlock: watch out for the magic.

 

Only, this warlock threw no sparks from his fingers, the dim outline of his body showed no Marks. In fact, when they stumbled further into a puddle of moonlight his opponent became clear, and he was not a warlock. There had been no magic throughout the fight because his attacker could not wield it, he came at Alec with a weapon because that was what he had been trained to do.

 

His opponent was a Shadowhunter.

 

* * *

 

_“What?!” Izzy shrieked, rising from the table in her anger. Jace’s golden hair fell over his eyes as he stared at his brother in shock._

 

_Alec levelled them with a glare, simply sighing and huffing, “Do you want me to continue or not?”_

 

* * *

 

Alec’s attacks increased in speed, the older shadowhunter stumbling under the furious rain of blows. However, it seemed that the other shadowhunter ‘guards’ had finally got with the program; seraph blades were lighting up the alley with the light of a thousand witchlights. If this kept up for much longer, the noise and light was bound to attract somebody’s attention.

 

Unfortunately for Alec, it didn’t seem like he could last for much longer anyway. One of the shadowhunters had gotten in a lucky hit along his collarbone, and as he peered though the blood tumbling from his eyebrow he was surprised to see his mother on the other end of the blade.

 

The cold hatred and disgust in her eyes startled him, the red-hot pain of the deep stab wound bringing Alec to his knees. His mother knelt before him, cold hands like iron around his wrist as the cobbles were stained red with his blood. “I pity you, Alexander.” The absolute steel in her voice sent shivers down his spine as she casually removed the knife and wiped it on her gear jacket. “You were always such a disappointment.”

 

The fire in his shoulder felt like a pinprick compared to the agony of the blade entering his gut. Maryse – Alec refused to call her mother anymore – twisted it harshly before standing up, wrist still trapped in her grasp. To any onlookers it would seem as if she was helping him to stand. The situation was so wrong that Alec tried to wrench his hand back, but his wound had made him weak. Maryse scoffed at his feeble attempt, pulling him more upright so he was forced to look her in the eye. “You are no son of mine.”

 

There was a massive bang, leaves swirling in the sudden gust of wind as Maryse looked away. The last thing Alec remembered before the world went black was a pair of glowing cats eyes surrounded by crackling red flames and a searing pain in his left arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there we are folks, another mystery solved. I hope this lived up to everyone's expectations; it was a hard chapter to write.
> 
> Also, which other ships would you like to see in here? Start a war in the comments :)
> 
> Have a wonderful week, and until then, DuckDuck out.


	6. Another Day, Another Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The downworlder council (tries to) makes some decisions, Jace is a pain and not a lot else.
> 
>  
> 
> Filler chapter, sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Ducklings!
> 
> I just want to start this by saying that I am SO SO SORRY! School started back this week, as well as me trying to get ready for Formal tomorrow (!!! I'm so excited !!!) but I know those aren't excuses. Hopefully, I can pull myself together enough to get another chapter out by Tuesday. 
> 
> This one goes out to kbl55429, who wrote me an essay about her reaction to Alec's past, and in the process unknowingly gave me a whole bunch of new ideas for this fic. 
> 
> This chapter is a bit of a filler chapter, so I apologise for that, but I hope you'll all enjoy it anyway. And, as always, it is unbeta'd, so lemme know if you spot any mistakes.
> 
> So, after all that: Enjoy!
> 
> \- DuckDuck out

**“A man always has two reasons for doing everything: a good reason, and the real reason”**

**– J P Morgan**

Three hours. It had been three hours since Magnus had left his angel and entered the boring realm of leadership duties. Don’t get him wrong, he loved being High Warlock more than anything else in the world. Well, almost anything. But that didn’t seem to matter when he, Raphael and Luke had been going around in circles for almost an hour now.

 

The Seelie Queen had yet to show, not even allocating a representative in her place. The cold wood of her empty throne seemed to be radiating dread, making Magnus all the warier. In fact, Magnus hadn’t been able to shake his bad feeling all day. Perhaps it was the added addition of Nephilim to their ranks, or the fact that three hours apparently hadn’t been enough for Alexander to inform his siblings of their story, or the warnings of their spies in Idris or the –

 

“Magnus, are you even listening?” Luke looked just as tired as Magnus felt, his normally warm brown eyes dull and mouth pulled into a tight frown.

 

“But of course, Lucian, this is a riveting conversation. Truly, wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Raphael’s snort did not go unnoticed by Magnus, but as a 400-year-old warlock who was very mature, all Magnus did in return was stick his tongue out in retaliation.

 

Raphael sighed, accepting his defeat at the hands of Magnus’ far superior negotiating skills. Or, at least, that was how he chose to see it. “Look, we either need to take a break, or call in Alec. I know that he’s spending time with the other Nephilim” – he spat the word as if it was a curse – “but he’s the one who really knows how the Idrisian armies work. Not to mention how they’ll respond to us taking two of their own.”

 

Magnus perked up at that suggestion, and before Luke could protest, a shimmering fire-message was flying through the air. At Luke’s exasperated look, Magnus just smiled innocently. Soon enough another paper crackled into being in front of his face, causing him to lean back or risk singeing the blue tips of his hair. And wouldn’t that just be a _travesty_.

 

“He’ll be here in a few minutes.” Luke and Raphael perked up at that, both seemingly as eager as Magnus to get this sorted and return to their loved ones. Well, Luke would return to Jocelyn, Magnus to Alexander, and Raphael would do whatever vampires do when they’re not criticizing Magnus’ fashion choices or frowning at everyone. Probably stalking that fledgling – Sheldon, was it?

 

He glanced back down at the smoking parchment in his hands, noticing part of his angel’s message that had him frowning. “He’s bringing his siblings too; it would seem he doesn’t trust them in a camp full of downworlders. Smart man, my Alexander.” He beamed.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Luke chuckled, “We know he is.” When Luke sat back in his chair this time he seemed far more relaxed, and Magnus could relate. Now, they could get some answers, decide on a plan, and they would get to see his love. Alexander would know what to do, and Magnus would have a chance to apologise for his treatment of the Lightwood siblings. Really, it wasn’t his fault the Lightwoods were talented, and as such, well protected.

 

As Magnus settled into wait, he tuned out Luke and Raphael’s idle chatter, and turned to the empty chairs of the Seelie Queen and his Angel. A dark, cold shiver worked its way up his spine, and Magnus worked to supress a shudder.

 

* * *

 

Alec had almost finished explaining the story of his and Magnus’ first date when a fire-message landed in the middle of the table. Knowing it had to be from Magnus, he quickly reached out to grab it, but Jace was faster. Butterflies invaded his stomach when Jace began to read it aloud.

 

_“My dearest Alexander,_

_It would seem we have reached a dead end in our discussion regarding the issues at hand. Your presence would be greatly appreciated in providing both answers, ideas, and plans, and of course, eye candy. You know where to find us._

_Love, Mags xoxo ”_

 

“And then there’s a winky face. You guys are gross.” Jace looked both happy, sad and disgusted all at once, and Alec could tell that they would be having a long conversation later on. Izzy on the other hand looked about a second away from jumping with joy.

 

Alec reached over and snatched the letter out of Jace’s hands before any more damage could be done. Fighting the blush staining his cheeks, he lit the paper with a flourish of his stele and turned to leave. “Come on. I’m not leaving you here alone.”

 

“What’s wrong big brother; don’t trust us?” Awkward silence fell after Izzy’s question, Alec pausing for a minute like a deer in headlights before turning and striding out of tent.

 

He could hear Jace’s whispered, “Good one Izzy,” before a smack and a grunt of pain. “Don’t be a dick,” Izzy whispered in retaliation, and Alec smiled as they joined him outside the tent. It was only a small grin, but it was enough.

 

He had missed this, his siblings joking around and just being carefree. It wouldn’t last much longer though, not if the meeting was about what Alec thought it would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading.
> 
> As I said before, I'll try to have another chapter out in a few days, so I'll see you all soon.
> 
> Comments and Kudos really keep me going, so let me know what you think of a chapter, what I could improve on, or what you want to see next. Or if you just wanna come scream about malec with me, be my guest :)
> 
> Also yes, the title is a Les Mis reference.
> 
> -DuckDuck


	7. Live and let Live

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an update!
> 
> A meeting, some siblings beef, and new mysteries to come.
> 
> Also an apology, because I suck :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, I am SO SO SORRY. But more on that later... you guys are here to read and freak out over Malec. At least, that's what I'm hoping.
> 
> Secondly, I've realised I've been being a bit of an ass by not replying to any comments or anything. Thank you all so much for the love, you guys really keep me going. From now on, I've decided to reply to comment etc, so come have a chat! Let me know what you like, what you don't, your theories, your prompts or just to talk.
> 
> Thirdly, 100+ KUDOS?!?! WHAT? YOU'RE ALL AMAZING THANK YOU DUCKLINGS!!!
> 
> \- DuckDuck

Chapter 7 – Live and Let Live

**“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion”**

**– Alexander the Great**

Izzy was in awe as she walked through the Downworlder camp led by her brother. Jace, walking beside her, seemed just as shocked as she was.

 

It was strange, she thought to herself, that this camp full of monsters was functioning just as well as any Institute, maybe even better. She had always imagined the Downworlder camps as dirty, disorganised dens full of the worst creatures in all the Shadow World. It occurred to her now that that was simply the shadowhunter in her talking; her 19 years had involved a lot of ‘downworlders are monsters’ propaganda.

 

In fact, the camp was so well organised that she wondered if Alec had had anything to do with it. He certainly seemed to know many of the camp’s occupants. Over the journey from Alec’s tent to wherever they where going to, her big brother had been approached by no less than four warlocks, two vampires and a dark-skinned werewolf looking for someone named ‘Lucian’. Alec had informed her that he was busy at the ‘Meeting Ground’, which was where Izzy assumed they were headed. Jace had winked at the girl, earning him a growl from the girl and an eye-roll from Alec.

 

Now, Alec was chatting with yet another vampire and looking like he’d rather be anywhere but here. The guy was tall, though not as tall as her brother, with curly brown hair and glasses that kept slipping down his nose. When he looked at Alec, he didn’t quite meet his eyes, as if he were afraid. _Good_ , the shadowhunter in her seemed to say, _let him be afraid_. _No_ , said the rest of her, _he’s kind of hot_.

 

She was distracted from the vampire by Jace poking her in the ribs. “Look!” He pointed over to her right, where the rows of tents gave way to a sunken pit surrounded by stone tiers. “Looks like an arena. Want to check it out?”

 

Izzy smirked, nodded, and was about to set off when a hand laid on her arm. “Absolutely not,” her other brother said. Izzy and Jace both pouted, and she could see the resolve flickering in Alec’s eyes. Finally, he sighed, “Later. I’ll give you both a proper tour.” Jace smirked and Izzy smiled blindingly at her brother. “But for now, we need to get going.”

 

“What about that Vampire, big brother?” Izzy asked sweetly.

 

“Simon?” Alec looked surprised that Izzy had even noticed him. “He was looking for Raphael.”

 

Jace was the one who asked the question this time, stepping up to walk beside his siblings through the rest of camp. “Who’s Raphael?”

 

“He’s the King of the Vampires. We’re going to meet with him now.” _Shit_ , Izzy thought. She knew that Alec trusted these… these people, but the Vampire King? He was one of the shadowhunters’ worst enemies, a bloodsucking murderer. The stories about him rumoured that he took great pleasure in targeting shadowhunter children, turning them, and sending them back to their families to be executed by the Clave. Surely Alec wouldn’t trust someone like that? Maybe he was under a spell. Magnus – and when had she started thinking of the warlock as _Magnus_ instead of _monster_ – would’ve had ample opportunity to do something like that. Maybe he _had_ kidnapped her brother and spelled those memories of their mother betraying him into Alec’s head to convince him to help.

 

One thing was for sure: Jace and Izzy had to get their brother out of here and back home.

 

* * *

 

Jace’s first thought when they entered the Meeting Ground is that if it hadn’t been lit with glowing flowers and Faerie lights, it would’ve looked hella creepy. Vines crept like snakes up the trees, and beautiful flowers bloomed around the edges of the glade. In the centre, five large chairs grew from the ground. Only three were occupied: Bane sat in one, a dark-skinned man to his left, and a pale man with dark hair the next along.

 

Bane rose when he spotted the trio of Nephilim, rushing over with a relieved look on his face. “Thank Hecate, Alexander. We’re going around and around in circles, and you have absolutely no idea how incredibly bored I am.” He paused in his rant to press a quick kiss to Alec’s lips, before grabbing his hand and towing Alec back towards the others.

 

“You do realise that we can hear you Magnus, don’t you?” The black man said, clearly amused. Above his head, a carved crescent moon glimmered in the dim lighting. Jace took it that this was Luke Garroway, King of Brocelind and werewolf.

 

That would make the man to his left King Raphael. Jace would be lying if he said that a spike of fear didn’t hit him as he stared into the man’s eyes. But Jace was a shadowhunter, so when he followed his brother towards the gathered men, he didn’t let anything show on his face but contempt.

 

Alec sat down in the chair to Bane’s right. Though similar in shape and build to the other five, this one seemed to be newer: the wood was healthier-looking, and the carved rune above Alec’s head looked fresh.

 

“Alec, good to see you.” Luke smiled, to which Alec nodded. Raphael remained silent, but the glare he fixed on Alec lacked the harshness Jace and Izzy were met with. “And you two must be the other Lightwoods. Please, have a seat.”

 

Bane waved his hand from where he was lazing in his chair, the other hand twined with Alec’s. Two overstuffed armchairs sprung into being in the space between Alec’s chair and the one to his left, which sported a carved leaf. Jace assumed it was for the Seelie Queen, the only missing ruler of the Downworld. Not that Alec was a Downworld leader. It was one thing to be saved by a warlock, but joining their enemies’ war council? The clave wouldn’t just kill Alec if they found out; they would _destroy_ him.

 

“Alright,” a new voice interrupted Jace’s thoughts. It took him a second to place it, but he soon realised that it must’ve been Raphael, who until now had been silent. “They’re all here now,” he continued, “Can we get on with it?”

 

“Yes, yes, Raphael.” Bane tittered. “Alec, while you were catching up with your siblings, we’re been trying to figure out our next move.” Alec nodded, and Jace could see him shift into what Jace called his ‘Head of the Institute mode’. After all, if Alec hadn’t been set up on that mission – although the jury was still out on whether that was what had actually happened or not – Alec would’ve taken over as General of Idris when Maryse left the post. Magnus was still talking, “-four days since Isabelle and Johnathan were taken, the shadowhunters-”

 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Jace interrupted. “Four days?”

 

Alec winced, not meeting Izzy or Jace’s eyes. “Yeah. Ragnor’s mind magic did a bit of a number on you guys. Sorry about that, by the way.”

 

It was Izzy’s turn to be angry now. “You’re telling me that you read our minds, knocked us out for four days-”

 

“Technically, it was three.” Bane interjected. Alec elbowed him in the ribs, and he winced.

 

“I don’t care!” Izzy jumped to her feet. Jace was only a second later to copy the movement. “It’s still not okay!”

 

Raphael’s bored voice cut through the drama. “As entertaining as this is, can you save your family drama until later? Some of us have things to do.”

 

Bane muttered something that sounded a lot like “or people to do” but it was cut off when Alec elbowed him again, his face red. Izzy sighed and sat back down, Jace doing the same. He knew they had to talk about all of this, but for now, the Lightwood siblings had more to worry about. Namely, gathering as much intel as possible, escaping, and dragging their eldest brother back with them without getting Alec killed by the Clave.

 

"Okay,” said Luke, “What’s the deal? The shadowhunters have demanded the release of their soldiers – Alec excluded or course – and in exchange they have promised not to kill whoever returns them. Obviously, that isn’t going to happen. We need to consider the upgraded security they’ll have put in place, the spies we have, and the plan to extract L4.” Around the circle of chairs, Jace could see the leaders nodding.

“Anyone got anything to say?”

 

No-one raised their voice, until suddenly Alec shot bolt upright in his chair. “I think I have an idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here comes the (mini)rant:
> 
> I'm not really sure why I haven't been updating. I think it's a combination of school, friendship/family stress, writer's block and just general life getting in the way. I feel so bad for letting all of you down, and I hope you forgive my absence. I know giving you guys a slightly longer chapter isn't going to make up for that, but I hope it helps. Once again, I'm really sorry, but I hope you can all enjoy this anyway. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll hopefully see you again soon!
> 
>  
> 
> -DuckDuck
> 
>  
> 
> P.S. I'm entering a writing competition at school, so let me know if you'd like to see my entry!


	8. Dynamics of the Fallen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lightwood family beef, secret plans, Magnus and Izzy bonding, and Maia!
> 
> Once again, a late chapter, but a long chapter. Apologies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back! Back again!  
> Me. I'm back, and writing this instead of studying for my SAC tomorrow. You're welcome. I'm sorry it took so long.
> 
> This chapter is for the wonderful Rose. Thanks for your interest, duckling. 
> 
> ALSO, the last chapter was for Oky_Verlo. Hold onto those theories... you might just need them.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
> 
> -DuckDuck

**“When the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance”**

**– Khalil Gibran**

 

To say Alec’s idea was crazy would be… about right, Magnus thought to himself as he mulled it over in his mind. Sure, people were likely to get hurt, and there was no guarantee of success, but this was war. Not taking any risks meant no gain for anyone. That being said, Magnus still worried. This was his boyfriend after all, and even though they had been together for almost a year it was hard for Magnus to put his life on the line.

 

The two newcomers seemed to have no such qualms; they were both nodding eagerly as Alexander went over the finer details with Luke. Raphael had nicked off somewhere – probably to find that fledgling he was so smitten with – and Magnus’ magical expertise was not currently needed, so he sat and observed.

 

Isabelle was scowling, her arms crossed and lips pinched, no doubt dissatisfied with whatever her brother was suggesting. It was clear that the siblings had been talking through the details of Alexander’s ‘betrayal’ right up until they received Magnus’ message, as her clothes were muddy and torn from their… rough, retrieval from Idris. It was clear that this young woman, were she not a shadowhunter, would have certainly caught Magnus’ eye. Her tightly fitting jeans and bomber jacket combo suited her perfectly, and he could see that thigh-high stiletto boots were clearly designer. Even with the crazy events of the last few days, she still managed to look flawless. And she could fight in it too, if the situation back in the tent proved anything. This was definitely someone Magnus could get along with, if they put the whole downworlders-are-scum-and-we-should-kill-them attitude behind them.

 

On the other hand, there was Jace. Ah, Magnus thought, brave, loyal, arrogant Jace. There was someone Magnus would have decidedly avoided had he not been his Angel’s parabatai and brother. Sure, half the world thought that Jace was the greatest Shadowhunter in decades, but that was pretty much irrelevant when faced with a Prince of Hell. Nevertheless, Magnus had to hand it to him: the guy was unwaveringly loyal, clearly torn between his brother and everything he had been taught since he was a child. From that first moment in the dingy basement – which was really just one of the tents in the camp spelled to look intimidating – he had been protecting his sister. It was admirable, really, but Magnus sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him that. He would make an effort to befriend him, if only for Alexander’s sake, but it was obvious they wouldn’t be getting along any time soon.

 

Speaking of Alexander, it seemed like the war council was finally over. His Angel walked towards him, his siblings trailing warily behind. “All done, Angel?” Magnus inquired, revelling in the faint flush that spread on Alec’s cheeks and the undignified snort from Jace at the nickname.

 

“Umm, yeah.” Alec stammered in return. “I was just going to show Jace and Izzy around a bit, maybe do some training.” Well, there went Magnus’ plans to catch up with his lover. Still, he supposed it was the first time in a year that his boyfriend had a chance to challenge someone of his calibre in the ring. And the prospect of a sweaty, shirtless Alexander… hmmm, maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

 

“Well in that case darling…” Magnus said. “Actually, why don’t you and Jace head over to the training ring, and I’ll take the darling Isabelle here to get cleaned up a little. Jimmy Choo boots don’t come cheap, now do they dear?” Isabelle, though still clearly wary, cackled with mirth and reached out to hook her arm with the warlock.

 

Before she could, Jace snatched her hand back. “What are you doing Izzy?” he demanded, “He’s a Warlock!” In a flash, Alec’s eyes had gone stormy, but Isabelle replied before he could reprimand his brother.

 

“I can take care of myself Jace,” She said stonily, “And besides, stilettos make for wonderful weapons.” It was a warning and a reassurance all at once, and now it was Magnus’s turn to cackle.

 

“Oh, hun, we are going to get along _famously_.”

 

* * *

 

Jace was still seething with rage at Bane’s retreating back when Alec laid a hand on his arm. He was surprised to see the fury in his eyes. The Alec of two years ago had always hidden his emotions from the world, and that fact that his parabatai was so clearly ruffled was cause for concern for Jace. Just what had that warlock done to his brother?

 

“Leave them be. Magnus will take care of her, I promise.” Alec said, turning to lead the way from the weird forest clearing/war room.

 

But Jace’s anger at his brother and his warlock was not so easily soothed. “Oh yeah? Just like he took care of you, right?” The ice in his tone was enough to give Alec pause. “That’s we didn’t hear from you for two years. You were busy being ‘taken care of’ by that _monster_!”

 

If Alec had been angry before, it was nothing compared to the righteous fury within him now. Jace was abruptly reminded that the man before him had once been on track to having all of the Idrisian Army at his beck and call. Alec was a leader, through and through, and a shadowhunter. It was clear that two years away from the fold wasn’t enough to beat that out of him.

 

“Magnus is the only reason I’m still alive. He has been nothing but good to me when he had every reason to kill me on sight. He sheltered me when your people, when _our mother_ , tried to kill me for who I love. So don’t you _dare_ look me in the eyes and tell me he’s a monster. Magnus is a great man, a _good_ man, and he has helped me more than you could possibly know. The fact that you doubt him just because he is not the same as us disgusts me. You should be ashamed.” Alec was panting heavily by the end of his rant, and if Jace had any doubts about what Bane meant to his brother then they were gone now.

 

Still, Alec had just let their enemy run off with their sister, and Jace was not going to let it go. “He’s a Warlock, Alec! He’s the enemy. Yeah, he helped you, and obviously I’m grateful for that, but he kept you away from us for two years! _Two whole years_!”

 

Alec looked shocked, then a cold kind of peace settled over his features. “He didn’t keep me away from you, Jace. I was free to leave whenever I wanted. I chose to stay.” With that final parting barb, the older of the two brothers turned on his heel and left.

 

It was a moment before Jace could find the will to follow.

 

When Alec finally stopped walking, it was at the edge of the stone pit that Jace had pointed out to Izzy earlier. It seemed they had been right about it being an arena. A few pairs of warlocks and werewolves were facing off against each other near the edges, while others looked on from the tiered seating leading up to where they were standing. One of the werewolves looked up from where she was seated, closing the large book in her lap and climbing the stairs in their direction. Jace was surprised to see it was the girl from earlier, the one that Jace had winked at. To be fair, she was pretty hot; dark, smooth skin and a halo of chocolate curls around her head.

 

The most interesting thing, however, was the fact that Alec actually relaxed in her presence. “Hey Alec. You up for a spar?”

 

“Sorry Maia, not right now.” Alec did sound truly sorry. “Maybe after? Jace and I have a… disagreement to settle.”

 

Maia’s face lit up with the prospect. “Oh, hell yeah I’m sticking around. The chance to see you fight a shadowhunter when we’re not trying not to die for once? No way I’m missing this!”

 

“Seriously? You see me fight all the time.” Alec looked resigned, but the slight tilt of the corner of his mouth said otherwise. “Fine. Go for it, I know you want to.”

 

The smile on Maia’s face now could only be described as blinding. Jace was all ready for her to turn around and settle back into her seat when she winked at him and called to the other occupants of the ring, “Alec’s here! And he’s sparring with another shadowhunter!” A deafening cheer rose from the present downworlders, and Alec rolled his eyes, before heading down towards the sandy arena.

 

Jace followed behind, still slightly gobsmacked by his brother’s behaviour, and watched as Alec stripped off his shirt and got into a defensive stance, ignoring the cheers and stares he got – from both men and women alike – before glancing back at Jace.

 

“C’mon,” he challenged, raising an eyebrow. “Are we doing this or not?”

 

The challenge was so unlike Alec that Jace had to stop for a minute. Then, a sly grin spread over his face, and he threw his shirt on top of his brothers, garnering more whistles and cheers from the crowd. “Yeah,” He smirked, “We’re doing this.”

 

The cheers of the crowd fell away as the brothers began their dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we have it. 
> 
> For anyone interested, here are Izzy's boots: https://www.farfetch.com/au/shopping/women/jimmy-choo-turner-110-thigh-high-boots-item-11544953.aspx?storeid=11276 (also yes I'm Australian. Go with it)
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed. Please leave a comment or kudos if you did, and I'm always open to prompts if you have something you'd love to see! Constructive criticism is always welcome as well. 
> 
> Y'all are amazing. See you next week!
> 
> -DuckDuck


	9. Those among us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The (really) long-awaited fight scene. Also, some stories.
> 
> Next chapter will be Izzy and Magnus' afternoon of fun. Stay tuned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Ducklings!
> 
> Me again. Sorry for taking so long to write this. But too be fair, fight scenes are hard to write and this is my first time trying. So please be nice. 
> 
> This chapter is for farimah. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for your support. 
> 
> Without further ado; enjoy!
> 
> -DuckDuck out

**“There’s so much grey in every story – nothing is so black and white”**

**– Lisa Ling**

Jace had been mad. Actually, Jace had been livid, his brother’s fierce defence of the creatures that were responsible for so many shadowhunter deaths and casual verbal blow shaking him to the core. Alec’s cold, “I chose to stay,” had been like a blow to the stomach, and his body ached from it.

The sick feeling in his gut had only intensified, leading to where they were now: shirts off, face to face across the dusty arena with countless downworlders cheering along the sidelines. It hadn’t really occurred to Jace until now the reality of what his brother had been up to these past few years, but the evidence was staring him in the face and Jace couldn’t ignore it any longer.

The scars across Alec’s body each told a story, that much was clear. Each silvery line spoke of new battles, not-quite-yet faded enough to be from before he left Idris. By far the most prominent two were the slash across his collarbone, just over Alec’s heart, where their bitch of a mother had tried to murder her eldest on that night, and the web of mutilated skin trailing down from Alec’s left shoulder, curling around his bicep and ending just above his wrist. The other scars, even the large circle of shiny skin where Maryse had tried to gut him, paled in comparison to the scar obviously caused by magic. It irked Jace that even after his brother had been so obviously hurt by Bane that he still trusted the Warlock.

Alec’s soft sigh brought Jace’s attention back to his brother’s face. “I’m fine Jace. Now are you gonna keep staring at me all afternoon or are we going to spar?”

Well, if that’s how it was going to be. “Sure,” Jace said, straightening up and gripping the seraph blade someone handed him. “C’mon, grandpa.” He smirked and charged forward.

Their blades clashed in a swing of metal, sparks flying as Alec’s twin daggers deflected the swipe of Jace’s seraph blade. Jace pulled back, dodging the dagger near his gut as Alec brought it up. He loved this, the thrill of the fight, adrenaline rushing through his veins. It helped ground him, his previous rage and confusion fading away to only leave the cold focus needed to beat his brother.

Jace leapt into the air, twisting away from Alec’s jab, their blades meeting mid-air as Alec rolled. Jace landed behind Alec, darting out with his sword. Without looking back, Alec reached out with one knife and parried the strike. When he turned around again, his normally hazel eyes were glowing blue. Jace took a minute to wonder what the actual hell had happened to his brother while he was in Edom before Alec had spun around and was coming after him again.

Alec had always been better with blades, something that seemed to confuse everyone that knew them. Jace and Izzy both knew that it was due to Maryse. Their mother had tried to tell Alec that archery was for cowards, for those who were too afraid to get right up into the thick of the fights. Alec had quietly confessed to Izzy after that conversation – so of course Izzy had told Jace immediately the first time he brought up the strange choice of weapon to her – that it was so he would be able to protect her, and later Jace, in battle. But, just to spite their mother and prove her wrong, Alec had mastered every weapon in the training room before the age of 15.

Jace lunged, adding ‘possible magic powers’ to the list of things to discuss with his brother as Alec parried his strike, daggers crossed with Jace’s sword wedged between them. Alec smirked at him, twisting his grip around and pulling the sword from Jace’s grasp. It went flying into the crowd, downworlders cheering for Alec’s win.

But Jace wasn’t done. A simple raised eyebrow in challenge had Alec throwing his daggers to the side and raising his fists. As gifted as Alec had always been with any kind of weapon, there was always one form of combat he wasn’t so good at: hand-to-hand. And by the Angel, Jace was going to win this fight.

The downworlders were going crazy for this new development. Jace lunged forward again, panting with exertion. Alec ducked, spun and kicked Jace’s feet out from under him with a well-placed kick to his knee. Jace used the momentum to roll away, twisting on his knees and grabbing Alec’s ankle. His brother followed him down to the ground, somehow twisting to land on top of Jace. Jace brought his legs up, wrapping them around his brother’s shoulders and pulling him to the side. Jace reached up to pin Alec’s hands, but he bucked his hips, throwing Jace of balance and squirming out from under him. He grabbed Jace’s wrist, wrenching it to the side as Jace grunted.

He almost had Jace pinned when a sharp whistle cut through the screaming crowds. Alec looked up, searching for the source of the noise. Jace took the opportunity to wrap a leg around Alec’s neck and grab his wrist, flinging his weight to the side and trapping his brother. Alec struggled for a minute, then tapped out, smiling as he looked once again to the source of the whistle.

Jace followed his gaze and saw their sister and Bane standing at the top of the stone steps. Maia was making her way through the – still cheering – crowd towards them, and Jace felt the rest of the worry drain away at the sight of Izzy safe and sound. Don’t get him wrong, he was still mad at his siblings for so blindly trusting this warlock, but from the smile on her face Izzy was fine. Hell, if the way she was laughing with Alec’s boyfriend was anything to go by, she had found a new best friend.

Alec rose to his feet, brushing the sand from his clothes and reaching a hand down to help Jace up. Jace snagged their shirts, handed Alec his and made his way up the stairs, shrugging his shirt on as they went. The crowd was beginning to disperse, some saying goodbye to Magnus and Maia on the way out. A few even patted Jace’s back, congratulating him on beating their “resident warrior”. Alec came up behind him, now clothed, kissing Bane on the cheek and moving to ask Izzy about what they had been up to.

Jace tuned them out, turning to observe those still training or chilling in the arena. Some were glaring at them, but Jace paid them no mind. He had his brother back, and even if everything wasn’t good between them, they would sort it out.

They were parabatai, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I hope I didn't botch the fight too much. It was based mainly off the training scene from 2x11, but with my own bits added in. Let me know if you liked it down in the comments!
> 
> The next chapter will be what Izzy and Magnus got up to while the boys were taking their frustration out on one another. Also, hopefully some progress concerning the littlest lightwood. 
> 
> Cya soon!
> 
> -DuckDuck

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> For any of you waiting for Road of Yellow, sorry once more. I'll try to get it up by next week.   
> This is unbeta'd so let me know if you spot any mistakes.   
> Until next time y'all.
> 
> \- DuckDuck


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